Brownies

No, no, not the “personage of small stature, wrinkled visage, covered with short curly brown hair, and wearing a brown mantle and hood” (Thomas Keightley: “The Brownie”, The Fairy Mythology, 1870; quoted from the Wiki), but the kind you can bake from scratch and eat!  That’s what was our daughter’s baking idea today, and so we set to work.

Brownies from Scratch

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
• Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
• In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter.
• Remove from heat and stir in sugar, slightly beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Stir in cocoa powder and flour, salt and baking powder, then beat until smooth.
• Pour into prepared baking pan.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, but do not overcook!  The brownies should still be moist in the middle.
• When cool, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.